Three whole days later…
Lu Yuan finally woke up.
"Glug… glug… haaaa!"
The very first thing he did was tip back an old wine jar, letting the fiery liquid roll down his throat. His parched lips smacked in relief as the dryness in his chest faded away.
"Nothing like a drink… damn, I was dying of thirst!"
His head still buzzed from a long, strange dream—a jumble of images that slipped through his mind like water through his fingers. There had been a giant furnace, a brilliant forge, a faint swordsmith's shadow… then, suddenly, he had found himself drinking at Yuexuan.
He remembered the sweet, unique fragrance that only Tang Yuehua carried on her.
But now—
Lu Yuan blinked, looking around at the oddly plain cave he was lying inside.
"What the hell…? Where am I?"
He rubbed at his temple, trying to clear his foggy thoughts. Slowly, blurry memories began to settle. He recalled being at the Soul Master Competition. He remembered a sudden uproar, a bastard stepping out of nowhere…
And that bastard might have said something about—returning his wife?!
Lu Yuan froze.
Return… his wife? Did he accidentally borrow someone else's wife??
"…I don't remember that happening."
Before he could puzzle it out, a soft voice called out.
"Lu… Lu Yuan, you're awake!"
Standing at the mouth of the cave was Xiao Wu. She stood there blankly, as if she had just walked in to check on him, only to be caught greatly off guard.
Because the very first thing she saw—was Lu Yuan drinking.
"You wake up from a three-day coma… and you start drinking?!"
Her lips twitched.
Lu Yuan blinked back at her. "Little rabbit? Why are you here? And… where exactly is this?"
Three questions fired off in quick succession, leaving Xiao Wu momentarily speechless. She hadn't expected that the first person he would see upon waking was her.
But before she could answer, she flushed red, spun around, and snapped in embarrassment:
"Can you at least put on some clothes first?!"
Lu Yuan gazed down.
"…Oh."
Right. He was stark naked. No wonder he kept feeling random chills whenever a breeze passed.
He scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, that explains it."
A moment later, he slipped on some proper robes from his soul guide. Then, wine jar securely in hand, he straightened up.
"Alright, little rabbit. You can turn back around now. And tell me what this place is."
Her shoulders relaxed a little—at least the pervert had clothing now. Still, her cheeks stayed pink as she finally explained.
"At that time, several extremely powerful people were fighting outside the Star Dou Great Forest. Daming sensed an evil aura among them, and I guessed it had to do with you. After all…" she gave him a long-suffering look, "…if the strongest experts in the entire continent are fighting, nine times out of ten, you must be involved somehow."
"Hey, that's not fair—" Lu Yuan started.
"And you've already been the cause for huge battles more than once!" Xiao Wu interrupted without mercy.
He had no comeback for that.
"So," she continued, "I went with Er Ming to check—and sure enough, we found you. You were unconscious. So… she handed you over to me."
"She?" Lu Yuan instantly perked up. "Golden wings, right?"
Xiao Wu hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. "She didn't say anything else. She just… left you with me."
"…Nothing at all?" Lu Yuan frowned, then looked around the cave, expecting to see this mysterious third person. "Wait. Where is she then? Did she just vanish?"
Before Xiao Wu could answer, another voice spoke behind them.
"Lu Yuan… you really are awake!"
Both turned. It was Tang Yuehua.
She stepped in, her graceful face lit up with relief but also surprise. The surging black flames that had once consumed Lu Yuan had been terrifying—honestly, she hadn't expected him to stabilize so quickly.
"Big sis!" Lu Yuan beamed, immediately brightening at her presence. "So you were the one who brought me here!"
Tang Yuehua blinked. "This… is complicated. Honestly, I myself don't know why I ended up here. I just… suddenly blacked out, and when I came to, I was already with you."
Her confusion made Lu Yuan chuckle. "Well, I should thank you regardless. And—wow, Big Sis, that outfit looks fresh on you."
His eyes swept over her, blatantly appreciating the sight.
Tang Yuehua's long legs and slim waist were revealed by her borrowed clothes. Standing barefoot atop a flat stone, lit faintly by sunlight streaming into the cave, her aura struck directly at a man's heart.
Lu Yuan almost whistled. "Flat stomach, bare legs… dangerous combination. The temptation is real."
"You—you shameless brat!" Tang Yuehua flushed, throwing him an indignant glare. "Stop running your mouth!"
Xiao Wu folded her arms. "Rogue."
Lu Yuan only grinned wider.
Soon after, Tang Yuehua demanded one of his spare coats—anything was better than the ill-fitting, too-revealing clothes she'd been stuck with. While she changed, Lu Yuan was kicked out of the cave.
Outside, he wandered and abruptly locked eyes with a mountain-sized figure.
"Black Monkey!" he exclaimed joyfully. "You're here too?!"
The Titan Giant Ape nearly exploded from outrage. "I am Er Ming, not some Black Monkey!"
"Oh relax, Black Monkey. Honestly, this place of yours is nice. Big lake, clean air—good vibes." Lu Yuan patted his shoulder approvingly.
Er Ming roared, furious. "Xiao Wu! Tell him I'm not a monkey!"
Xiao Wu sighed, head in her hands. "Do you ever stop causing trouble…"
But then Er Ming caught sight of the wine jar in Lu Yuan's hand.
"You… are drinking that?"
"Yes! Want some?"
Within seconds, the terrifying Titan Great Ape and the ridiculous Lu Yuan were sitting side by side by the lake, sharing swigs from the same wine jar.
That night, the group sat around a crackling bonfire.
The Star Dou Great Forest was always chilly after dusk. Lu Yuan and Xiao Wu didn't mind—it was cozy enough for them—but Tang Yuehua shivered every so often, pulling Lu Yuan's oversized coat tighter around her shoulders. Without spirit power to shield her, her body was far more fragile.
Lu Yuan tilted his head. "Big Sis, about earlier… when I was unconscious, I felt a breath of icy power wake me up. Then I saw a furnace, a swordsmith, and even thought I was drinking again at Yuexuan. That was you, wasn't it? Your strength pulled me back?"
Tang Yuehua smiled faintly, her beauty rippling in the warm glow of the fire. "It was only your own power carrying you through that calamity. What I did was… minimal."
"You're too modest," Lu Yuan said with a grin. "We're all family now. No need for formality."
He raised another jar in toast and drank.
Tang Yuehua shook her head helplessly. "Hopeless drunkard."
"By the way," Lu Yuan looked around. "Where's Er Ming? Wasn't he going to join us?"
"Don't call him out again," Xiao Wu muttered. "It's too much trouble. I've already been run ragged interpreting between you two."
Lu Yuan chuckled, then patted the soul guide at his waist. "Relax. I've got tons of treasures from Old Poison Dugu Bo's garden. One of them might help Er Ming learn to speak properly. Tomorrow, I'll stuff him with herbs until he can yell at me in plain words. That'll be interesting."
Xiao Wu wasn't sure whether to be hopeful or horrified.
As Lu Yuan sipped again, his thoughts drifted. Where did that old snake, Dugu Bo, run off to after the battle? And what about Yanyan and Lingling? My two little girls? My son Xiaoyu?
Just thinking of them made him restless.
"Lu Yuan…" Xiao Wu's gentle voice pulled him back. She bit her lip before cautiously asking, "Are you planning to return?"
Something in her tone told him there was danger in it.
But Lu Yuan only grinned. "Of course. I'm going back to find my son! I can't just stay out here forever, can I?"
Xiao Wu frowned deeply. But the winged girl warned me… if he returns to the soul master world, a bloody disaster will follow.
Still, Lu Yuan's resolve was firm.
"What, did you expect me to stay here with you for life?" His smile was teasing.
"I-I didn't say that!" Xiao Wu immediately grew flustered, sticking out her tongue. "Who'd want to live forever with a degenerate drunkard like you? Hmph!"
That small flash of her pink tongue nearly made Lu Yuan's heart skip.
"Little rabbit, you're too cute," he chuckled—and without warning, wrapped both arms around Xiao Wu and Tang Yuehua.
"Ah?!" Both women froze, eyes wide.
"What are you doing?" they shouted simultaneously.
"Simple," Lu Yuan said matter-of-factly. "It's late. Time to sleep."
"…Excuse me?!"
But Lu Yuan was already tugging them toward the cavern's shared bedding area. His bright grin said it all—he genuinely saw no issue squeezing into the small cave together.
Half an hour later.
The cave was silent—because Lu Yuan was nowhere inside it.
He lay sprawled along a wide, sturdy tree branch high above the clearing, staring at the starry canopy in boredom.
The cave? Completely occupied by two annoyed beauties who had unceremoniously kicked him out.
"Really now…" Lu Yuan sighed. "Three people, one cave. Where's the harm in squeezing a little?"
He rolled onto his side and took another gulp of wine, muttering to himself.
"Lonely. So boring."
Above him, the endless night stretched on.
--
Loving the story? Read 149+ extra chapters on my Patreon — link's in the description! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: My Harem System is Bugged!" — don't miss out!